Sunday, January 20, 2008

Pack attack. By Alicia Pyke.

Call me schizo-fash-ic but I have an entirely new wardrobe worry this week: Packing Paranoia.

In a little over a month I’ll be relaxing on a remote island in the South Pacific with my favourite person in the world and nothing but snorkelling excursions, sunset cocktails, seafood feasts and trashy novels to consider. Mmmm, I can almost see it now.

But for one major detail – what I’m wearing. Yes, I know the location dictates it probably won’t be much but that makes it even more important to choose wisely. I also know I want to pack smart, pack light and pack to with a nod to my inner island princess without looking like I’ve been shipwrecked en route to a costume party.

My main problem stems from thinking I have to pack for holidays like I’m preparing for one of those fashion stories the magazines are currently brimming with. You know, “Seven clever pieces to mix and match over 10 nights in three countries”. Oh, did I mention in just one overnight bag?

It doesn’t stop there. Having styled many of these shoots over the years, I can’t ignore the urge to choose a strict colour palette to tie it all together. Like on the family holiday to Bali where I wore nothing but khaki, leopard, chocolate and coral, right down to bikinis, shoes and jewellery. True, I did seem a little uptight. Wonderfully coordinated though.

This time I’m thinking white, tan, cobalt and black with a few quirky prints and metallic accessories thrown in (carefully). So, will having a synchronised wardrobe ensure the holiday of my dreams? I doubt it, but that’s not the point. I can’t control the weather, the quality of the food or the crispness of the linen, but I can control what I take to wear. And have all the fun of shopping for it.

Maybe I should change my diagnosis to Obsessive Fashion Disorder?

Image Credits Clockwise from top left: Lana Ford, Camilla Franks, Wittner, Sunburn
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